Rebel

Alec

    Two days after my trip to the walls, a letter arrives at my home. It says that I will be taking the Test in two weeks – a week and two days after I turn seventeen. My mother is beginning to get nervous about it, and constantly fusses over me, telling me to do some exercise to prepare myself. She is forbidden to say exactly what happens in the test (she took it when she was seventeen, too), but she may guide me to perform well. If I'm being honest, I don't really care about the Test; I doubt that I'll pass and I don't really think I want to. My father also tries to get me in shape, by testing my intuition skills and running me through spoken battle simulations ("What would you do if an enemy held a gun straight to your head and your hands were tied or trapped?"), but he isn't as insistent as Mother. As if I didn't already have enough to see to, Zack keeps asking for help with his schoolwork; he is in his fifth year at school, which is considered one of the most challenging years, and classes are getting harder and harder. Whenever I help with his homework, I can't help but remember that my fifth-year work wasn't as hard as Zack's... It seems like the schools have tightened the curriculum even more, if possible.

    Three days after the letter arrived, the whole house is in an uproar with the planning of my seventeenth birthday. With three days to go, I've shut myself in my room for a while so as to get away from my mother rambling about food, decorations and invitations. Previously she'd made me clean the living room, water the flowers, and polish the special-occasion plates. My father was staying at work longer than usual to avoid being set any housework, seeing as yesterday my mother had threatened to make him dust off every surface and crevice. Rose is in charge of decorating the living room – she is sitting in my father's study and cutting out large paper stars and hearts to hang around the table (not my first choice of adornment, but it'll do). Zack is doing the grocery shopping in the nearby corner store. My mother had sat me down that morning to discuss the menu for the party. Before hiding in my room, I had been choosing a tablecloth and the right color of napkins for the dinner, but when I finished, I managed to sneak away before my mother assigned me a new job. I sit on my bed, looking around my small room. The walls are painted a light blue, and my slightly shabby dark brown desk stands out against the bright room, as well as the light coming through the window that the desk is placed right in front of. There is a closet built into one wall, and it hangs open, revealing a messy pile of clothes. There's a small nightstand beside my desk, whereupon lies a book and a copy of yesterday's newspaper. I had retrieved it in the hopes of finding information on what happened in the rebel camp during my tour, but there was not even the slightest mention of it. My eyes settle on the window. The weather is nice; the sky is blue and cloudless and it's much warmer than it was a few days ago. I see a woman and her daughter cross the street to the flower shop where my mother works. Mother has taken two days off to help at home, but tomorrow she will return to work.

    My mind drifts to the upcoming Test. I wonder what kinds of things they'll make us do, and if Willow will pass. She's really athletic and also very sharp. She'd make a great soldier. However, my heart pangs at the thought of having to stay here alone, if she passes and I don't. She's been my best friend for ten years; there's never been a time where we've been apart for more than a few weeks. I secretly hope that she won't pass, so that she won't have to leave me... and so that she will be safe. This thought brings me to a new topic to roam – what kind of dangers the potential soldiers will have to face. Some might be lucky and will only have to patrol the walls... Others will have to patrol the rebel camp. I've heard stories of soldiers being brutally ambushed and attacked by angry rebels. It's probably also very lonely out there, without your family... without a warm bed, or the smell of cooking and home to return to after a long day. I sigh and lay back on my bed, looking up at the ceiling where paint is slowly peeling off.

    "Alec! Where are you? I need help with moving the sofa out of the way so that the table can fit in the living room..." My mom's voice echoes up the stairs and through the closed door. I roll my eyes slightly and get up, stretching.
     "Coming, mom!" I call back, heading out of my room and jumping down the steps two at a time.

    Exactly one week after the tour of the walls, I wake up abruptly to singing outside my bedroom door. Rubbing my eyes, I glance at my clock, which notifies me that it's only 8 a.m. I groan and try to make out what my family is singing, but I'm still half asleep and can't concentrate. Then it hits me. It's my birthday. I sit up right as the door opens and my parents and siblings come in, singing 'Happy Birthday' jovially and holding a big package, wrapped in bright red paper. I crack a smile as they gather around my bed, finishing of the song. Rose jumps up and hugs me, and my mother plants a kiss on my forehead. My father pats me on the back and Zack cracks a smile.

    "Happy seventeenth!" My mother says, and hands me the present. Under their intent gaze, I peel off the wrapping paper to reveal a stack of books, a new, fashionable t-shirt, and a golden watch. I grin as I examine the t-shirt, read the back of the books and clasp the watch around my left wrist.
    "Thanks, guys. Thanks a lot." I hug them all individually.

    After a while of talking happily, the small crowd in my room disperses and I get up to get dressed. A few minutes later, dressed in my best shirt and pants and wearing the new watch, I head downstairs to finish the last few party preparations. I glance through the door to the living room and see that it's been decorated with my sister's handicraft and that the table has been set. My mom is already preparing the meal in the kitchen as I sit to eat my breakfast. The guests, which are mostly made up of family and friends, are due to come at two o'clock.

    My family and I are sitting in the living room when the doorbell rings. I get up to answer it, my mother following me. The door opens to reveal my aunt, Lily, and my cousin, Jason.

    "Happy birthday!" Lily cries, throwing herself at me for a hug. She's often very dramatic. Jason smiles at me over her shoulder, and we clasp hands when she releases me.

    "Come in, come in," My mother shows them into the living room, and we all settle down to talk for a while. Lily talks about how her job is going and apologizes thoroughly that her husband couldn't come, due to work. Around ten minutes later, the doorbell rings again and I go to greet the new guest. Willow is standing on the doorstep, wearing a pretty, strapless green dress that goes to just beneath her knees. Her hair has been altered so it's slightly wavy and she's arranged it in a kind of loose bun, with some light brown strands falling down the back of her head. She smiles brilliantly. "Happy seventeenth, Alec." She steps inside and gives me a quick hug.
    "Thanks... It's kinda overwhelming," I chuckle, gesturing to the avidly decorated hallway. Willow laughs.
    "I bet it'll be even worse for my birthday. My mom loves making big deals out of these kind of occasions."

    "My mom wouldn't let me relax, she made me help prepare for the last three days..."

    Willow jokingly adopts a face full of pity. "Awww, how sad. I'm so sorry for you." We laugh and head into the living room, where Willow greets everybody.

    By the time everyone has arrived and had snacks and made small talk, I'm already getting slightly tired. Willow and I are sitting in a corner of the living room, musing about the upcoming Test and what soldier life might be like. Temporary silence falls between us, and I watch my father talking animatedly with my mother's co-worker who owns the flower shop. I glance at my new watch and see that it's almost six p.m.

    "Dinner should be starting soon," I remark to Willow, who nods.

    "I'm starving!"

    And just as I'd predicted, a few minutes later my mother calls us all to the table, and the rest of the evening goes by with us enjoying the delicious food. A few hours later I wave of all the guests, give my family hugs, and head up to bed, exhausted. I feel oddly different, like the responsibilities of the last 10 years in school have been lifted from my shoulders. But with the lifting of those weights, there come new ones. My future is foggy ahead; I don't know where I'll be in the next few years. Soon I'll have to make big decisions... Or my life could completely turn upside down, if I do make it to the army... With these troubled thoughts flowing around in my mind, I fall into a deep sleep.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Sorry for taking so long between chapters... I do enjoy writing this, but I barely ever find the time to.